Acquired tastes
by victoriaely
Summary: Carson returns to Earth after more than a year in Atlantis and goes to Scotland to visit his mother. Mild spoilers for Poisoning the well and Conversion
1. Chapter 1

Carson was watching the scenery go by through the window of the train. Coming back home was something he'd looked forward to. When he was in Atlantis. Now it all felt wrong.

He'd chosen to take the train from London. He'd always liked long trips where he could relax and think about things. Now all that he could think of was that it was really cold and it rained too much.

It was ten o'clock when the cab stopped in front of his house. It was the same old house he'd always loved, with his mother's beautiful flowers. He hadn't expected to find his mother waiting at the train station, but this was a bit odd. All the lights were off.

He rang the doorbell, and after about ten minutes he heard his mother coming to open the door.

"This isn't funny, you know. Waking up an old woman in the middle of the night."

Carson smiled. His mother hadn't changed a bit.

"Hello Mum. Sorry to wake you up."

"Carson! I didn't know you were coming. Come in, son. You must be exhausted."

"I'm fine, Mum."

"I'll make you a cup of tea and we'll talk."

The house hadn't changed, either. It was over a year since he'd last been here. He sat on the big couch in the living room, with his small suitcase close to him. He missed the feeling of this house. The remembered warmth that had always made him hurry back home, the smell of his mother's cooking, the way the morning sun lighted his room. His mom was looking at him. He looked so lost, so lonely.

"Here's your tea, love."

"Thanks, Mum."

Carson was wondering what was going on in Atlantis. Zelenka should manage, so should Schwartz and Biro, but he couldn't help feeling wrong. He should be there. He thought of the snowflake city and wondered how he could he miss it the way he did.

"So, Mum, how are things here?"

"Aw, you know how they all are. Your uncle Magnus is busy as always, broke his leg last week. Um... Martha got married a week ago. Did you read about John?"

"John?"

"Your cousin John. He's going to become a teacher. I wrote about this in last month's letter. Didn't you receive it?"

"I did. Just... we've been a bit busy."

"Aye. I'm sure you were. So, how is your work going? Did you discover anything?"

Carson felt his stomach twitch. He'd discovered something, all right. The way to transform a healthy man into a bug. The way to kill half of the population of a planet.

"No, Mum. Not really."

"But you continued your research?"

"Aye. I'm feeling pretty tired - I think I'll get some sleep."

He didn't move, he just wanted to stay there and let everything pass him by . He wished he could lie down and sleep on the couch. But then his mom would be worried, so he got up and slowly started walking towards the stairs. He heard his mom coming behind him. She was always worried about him.

His room was the same, as well. He was standing in the middle of it, staring at the bed. The bed in Atlantis would be more comfortable . He heard his mother sigh... he'd closed that door, hadn't he? He wished it closed. But things didn't work that way here, did they?

"I'm okay, Mum. Goodnight."

His mother went downstairs and took his cup of tea from the table. He hadn't drunk any of it. Her son had changed. He'd always read her letters before and he'd always called to tell her he was coming home. 


	2. Chapter 2

It was midday when Carson woke up. He felt broken, like he'd crashed to the ground after a Wraith had thrown him fifteen feet in the air. His mother called out from downstairs, "Are you awake, dear?" She must have heard him moving about. He got up and headed for the stairs.

"Aye, Mum."

"Good. I've invited your Uncle Magnus and John for lunch."

Things were getting worse. He couldn't tell her that he didn't want to see them. That he'd only come to see her, to make sure that she was well and that she forgave him. That he'd come from another galaxy to tell her face to face that he loved her. That when he'd accepted to go on the mission to the Pegasus Galaxy he wasn't running away.

"Okay, Mum."

When Carson came downstairs his shoulders were hunched like they hadn't been for a long time. He'd wished he could be happy, the way he was before his father died in the car crash. He'd felt so helpless, so frustrated. He would have given everything to change the way things went, but there had been nothing he could do. After that, he'd tried to help his mother and to protect her. Make her think that he was okay by not showing his grief. Instead, they'd grown apart. He'd grown apart from everything and everyone he loved. And then he had the chance to start again, with new people and new places.

His mother was remembering her husband's funeral. How Carson had stood and watched everything unfold without showing any emotion. She'd been sorry she didn't understand him. By the time she had , it had been too late. She'd been afraid that he'd quit Med School, afraid that he'd let go of his dream. Now, looking at his dejected posture, she felt the same way. Carson wasn't the boy she used to know.

"So, tell me about where you work."

"You know I can't, Mum."

"You can tell your mother about your colleagues. How you get along, what you're doing there."

"No, I can't." He sounded harsher than he'd meant to. He wished he could close his eyes and wake up in a different place. Why couldn't people understand that he was human, that he had his limits. He hoped that of all the people, his mother would stop seeing him as Doctor Carson Beckett, the one who was always patient, available and willing to help, the one everyone would turn to. He wanted someone he could turn to.

- - -

His cousin John loved to hear himself talk, and Carson just hoped things would end quickly.

"So, Carson, what's it like at... where was it?"

"Classified. You know I can't say."

"Right. So what is it you do there?"

"I'm a Medical Doctor. What do you think I'd be doing?"

Carson hoped his mother would ask John to stop, but she didn't. She seemed curious herself and was expecting an answer. She didn't understand.

"I fix people. They get injured, I heal them." So he tried, at least.

"So, how do you get along with the military?"

"Fine."

"Great. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?" That was an odd turn. Carson hoped his mother hadn't put John up to asking these questions.

"No, lad, I don't have a girlfriend."

"It figures."

Carson felt how he imagined Rodney must have felt when he was talking to Kavanaugh. No, this was worse. Kavanaugh wasn't Rodney's family.

"You couldn't find a friend, let alone a girlfriend, if you searched the whole galaxy."

"What's this? Are you doing a psychology project on me? Let me be."

"It must be lonely in your little world, Carson."

The blood left Carson's face. He slowly rose from the table, arranged the chair and went to the phone to place a call to Elizabeth Weir.

"Hello?" came a sleepy voice from the other side of the ocean.

"Hello, Elizabeth. I'm sorry to wake you up."

"It's okay, Carson. How's home?"

Carson felt tears cloud his vision. He'd been such a fool to think that he could just come here and it would feel like home. He was a different man. He had changed with the places and times around him.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. When are we going home?"

"Um... I'm not sure I understand."

"When are we going back? When will Col. Caldwell be ready?"

"Carson, I know it can be difficult. Readjusting takes time, but you love home. You love Scotland."

"I'm finding that it's a bit of an acquired taste."

He remembered Perna's face. Her faith, her friendship.

"Carson, you can come here if you want to."

"I'll be fine. But give me a call as soon as it's time."

He turned to face his family, who were still sitting at the table. John had an awful smirk on his face.

"You lied to us, Carson."

"Really?"

"Elizabeth? Home?"

"There's more to friendship than you'll ever know. And there's more to home than family."

Carson left the room. He closed the door and rested his hand on the doorknob, wishing he was back in Atlantis. 


	3. Chapter 3

Family... His family was gone. The family he'd once had was destroyed the day that drunk driver killed his father. It wasn't just an accident. The man had chosen to drink more than he should have. He'd chosen to drive, to be irresponsible... to risk the lives of others. That night was when he'd realized that medicine couldn't fix everything. He'd been at the hospital, listening to one of his colleagues explain his father's situation. It had felt so distant, separated from him. He'd found it impossible to believe that it was over and that he had to be the one to break his mother's heart and tell her. Then she was in front of him, waiting for the words he couldn't say. The words he didn't say.

The next day a friend had called him and there had been something... off... in the conversation. He'd suspected his mother had asked his friends to look after him and he'd been hurt that his mother felt the need to do this, that she'd felt that his friends had to be asked to do this. He'd felt as if he was observing someone else's life.

He was a good man. Someone once said he was too good for his own sake. Maybe, but he realized that was the only way for him to be. He'd wanted to make all the pressure go away, wished that all the people who wanted something from them would just let them be. So he'd started solving problems. The problems that his father didn't have the chance to solve, the problems that had arisen as a result of his sudden death. One after another, trying to keep his family from falling apart because of the hardship. All that he'd wanted was for his mother to understand that he was tired. That he needed to rest. But she'd been worried about him. Worried about what others might think of him. He'd tried to ignore his worries, hoping that with time his relationship with his mother would return to normal, until the night his mother finally brought up her concerns.  
"What're ye going t'do with your life, Carson?" She never called him Carson. It sounded so distant, like it wasn't his name at all.

"Mother, it'll be fine. I'll take all my exams and get a job here."

"There's only one job here, Carson. And ye have t'be really good t'get it."

He'd always had confidence in his skills . He'd always known that if he worked hard enough he could accomplish anything. Until then. His mother - the one who had always had faith in him - doubted him.

"Don't worry, Mum. Everything'll be okay." He hoped she would just say that she believed him and leave it at that.

"Do y'really think that? I've hopes for you... t' become what we dreamt for you. But you're choosing t' take a path that's so wrong."

"Mum, I..." He'd felt there was nothing more he could say. His mother had made up her mind. She didn't want to know how he felt, what he thought, she wanted to tell him something.

"I've sold th' house. And I'm going t'move in with Betty. "

His mother had wanted him gone. Away from her. She'd wanted him to go somewhere else when he finished Med School.

"Is there anythin' I could do that'd make you..."

" I've put an ad in th' paper."

With that his mother had left and Carson had realized that he'd failed. He couldn't save his family.

Time went by and no one came to look at the house. Sometimes Carson thought his mother had changed her feelings towards him, but that happened rarely, and only in the presence of others.

After graduating he was given the opportunity to work in London, at one of the best hospitals. But he chose to remain at home, hoping things would change.

Then John had come to visit. He was in highschool and was the perfect example of what adolescents shouldn't be doing with their youth. But Carson's mother seemed to like him. Love him, actually.

"So, Carson, how's life?"

"Great, lad." He had to be nice to this obnoxious young man, for his mother's sake.

"So, what do ya do?"

"I'm a doctor."

"That's not what I meant."

"That's what you asked."

"How's your social life?"

Carson didn't have a social life. He went to work and then he went home again. He had three colleagues born in the same decade as he was, and they were all men.

"It's okay."

His mother brought in a plate of biscuits and placed it on the table in front of John.

"Carson, stop being mean t' your cousin."

He was a thirty year old man and he was being treated with condescension by an eighteen-year-old who was loved by his mother. That was not how his life was supposed to be.

The next week he'd received a letter from the Health Ministry. It had been a job proposal. In Antarctica. But he'd seen it as a chance to do what he was trained to do. To see if he could be more than a regular physician. To see if he had it in him to be someone.

So he'd left for Antarctica and never looked back. It was a world away from home, but he'd felt no one would miss him back there. And when he'd had the chance to go to the lost city of the Ancients, he'd been happy to take the offer. He was finally achieving something.

He'd only had one day to go to Scotland and announce it to his mother. He'd been afraid of her reaction. But she'd been sweet and caring, even loving.

Now he realized it had been a mistake to return home and expect things to have changed. They were both trying to reclaim something that wasn't theirs anymore.

Everything that he was, that he had, was connected to a snowflake far, far away in the Pegasus Galaxy. 


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning was hard. Carson hadn't slept more than half an hour for the entire night. He didn't know what to expect this morning, what to hope for...

His mobile phone rang and he reached for it with surprise. "Hullo?"

"Hello, Carson. It's Elizabeth. Is everything okay?"

"Oh... aye. Sorry if I upset you with my call last night. I..."

"Don't worry, it's okay. I wanted to tell you that we'll be leaving in twenty days. Would it be okay if Rodney came to see you?"

"Rodney? Here?" he asked incredulously. This was really strange. Why would Elizabeth want to send Rodney here? Or did Rodney want to come for his own reasons? Had they discussed his phone call and this was their solution? He didn't know what to think. "Why?" was all he could manage in the end.

Elizabeth was shocked by his response. When he'd called the other day she'd thought he wanted to know how much time he had left to stay home. She'd thought maybe he'd had a quarrel with someone. But she didn't expect this reaction. "I'm sorry... What do you...?"

"Why does he want to come here? Why do you want him to come here?"

"Carson, I don't know what you're thinking, but Rodney is pretty lonely here and I thought it would be good for him to spend some time with a friend. And he accepted."

He realized he'd got it wrong. Again. These people were his friends. The ones that cared for him.

"I'm so sorry, lass. I didna' mean to be daft. Can I talk to him?"

"Sure. I'll put him on."

"Hey, Carson. Is everything okay?" Rodney sounded puzzled. He'd probably been listening to Elizabeth's end of the conversation.

"Aye. I was just... I had... Are ye goin' to come here, to Scotland?"

"Yeah, if that's okay with you." Elizabeth couldn't believe her ears. Rodney never spoke like this, so calm and considerate. Something was wrong, but she didn't know what it was, nor have the power to mend it. Only they would be able to do that.

-------

When Rodney had arrived at the airport, he'd looked tired and lost. Carson couldn't help thinking how much they must resemble each other. They stopped in front of the small house and Carson remembered how only a few days ago, when he'd first arrived, he had been full of hopes. Now he just hoped he could handle whatever would come next.

His mother was waiting for them inside. "Hullo." she said, her voice cold and even.

"Mum, this is my friend Rodney. We work together"

"Hello, Mrs. Beckett."

"Hullo, Mister...?"

Carson felt like his worst nightmare was about to come true. He wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure how to fix this. His mother was distant, she was going to make him look bad in front of his friend. She was going to hurt him.

"McKay. Rodney McKay." Rodney responded to the unanswered question.

"And what is it that you do? Or is that classified, as well?"

Rodney looked shocked. He tightened his grip on his suitcase as he looked from Carson to his mother and back again. This wasn't what he'd expected.

"I'm sorry, I..."

"I thought y'told me a friend was coming, Carson."

That's all she said, but he knew she was thinking, You couldn't find a friend if you searched the entire universe.

Rodney finally realized he was just standing there, holding the suitcase and staring into thin air.

"So, Carson..."

"I'll show you to yer room. This way."

Looking at his friend, Rodney could see the same sadness that he'd seen when Carson had returned from Hoff - from Perna. He wished he could do something to help him, but how could he, when he didn't even know what was wrong?

When they reached the guest room, Carson sat heavily on the bed and released a long, slow sigh. He was tired of all this.

"Carson... You okay?"

"I don' know, I really thought things would be different... better somehow."

"Yeah, so did I."

"I'm sorry if I made y'think that this was going to be... I just hoped..."

"Don't worry, I didn't exactly receive a warm welcome at home, either."

"Really? What happened?"

Rodney took a seat on the bed beside Carson.

"I went home, to see my sister, to see if she'd received my message. She had. She said I was pathetic, trying to make up for all my mistakes by sending a video that was supposed to make her feel bad for me. I kinda lost my temper."

Carson tried to hide his smile. He'd have liked to be there for that conversation. "I'm sure she'll get over it... in time."

"I hope so."

They both remained sitting there for a while, each absorbed by their own thoughts.

"Well, I'll leave you to get settled in then." Carson said as he rose from the bed. "Maybe you can tell me more after supper."

"Yeah... But make sure there's no..."

"Lemon. Aye, lad, there'll be no lemon around." Carson left the room smiling. Some things never changed. And he was happy that Rodney was one of them, strange as that may be. 


	5. Chapter 5

Many thanks for the reviews. They were appreciated and you'll see the results...

A week had gone by and nothing went wrong. Carson had the chance to show Rodney all the places that he loved so much. And even though he didn't admit it, Carson new Rodney liked Scotland. The peace and the beauty of the places they visited charmed the lonely man.

They'd just returned from their morning hike. It sounded so... quaint, like they were two idle old men who had nothing better to do with their time. The truth was, they did have things they should be doing, but those "things" weren't to be done here. Carson loved the countryside, loved to walk and was surprised to see that Rodney didn't complain. They didn't have too much of that in Atlantis. It was nice to be home again, but he realized he would never trade it for the city of the Ancients.

They entered the living room, and as they dropped their backpacks to the floor, they noticed Carson's cousin sitting on the couch. "Hullo, Cousin."

"Hullo. I didn' know you'd be visiting today. Rodney... this is John, my cousin. John, Rodney."

"I heard a friend of yours was here and I jus' had to come an' meet him."

"Of course ye did."

Carson lowered himself into one of the armchairs and resigned himself to the fact that the peace was over.

In an uncharacteristic moment of understanding, Rodney suddenly saw everything for what it was. And he wasn't about to let it go.

"Well... here I am."

"Aye... I can see that. I wanted to ask you - "

"What was it..." Rodney said, trying to keep an even tone.

"John…" came Carson's response. He didn't know what Rodney was going to do, but it was clear he was up to something.

"Yes, thank you, Carson. John... how old are you?"

"Ah, I'm twenty two." John answered with some confusion.

"What Uni did you graduate from"  
Carson had never spoken to Rodney about his cousin and as such, had never told him about their arguments, but Rodney seemed to have grasped the situation.

"I haven't yet," John started defensively, "But I've been accepted at..."

"Accepted? You're too old to be just starting now. Anyway, what were you going to study?"

"I want to become a teacher."

"Really..." Rodney's voice was dripping with sarcasm. But there was something different - this was a sarcasm Carson had never heard him use before, a sarcasm that was somehow even more condescending and spiteful that usual. "Not that there's anything wrong with being a teacher, but I really can't see you as one..."

Carson cautiously looked over at his mother. He expected to see some sign of disapproval at the way his friend was treating John. Instead, he found her looking back at him. He couldn't read the expression on her face, but he was glad she didn't seem upset.

A few minutes later, she stood and silently exited the room. She didn't say a single word.

Rodney and John were quite absorbed in their animated conversation, so Carson was able to follow his mother from the room without any undue attention.

Mrs. Beckett stopped in the kitchen and sat on one of the chairs by the table.

"Mum..."

"I'm sorry, Carson."

"Sorry? You don't need to-"

"I do, Carson... I'm sorry I didn't try harder t' understand you. I'm so sorry I've tried t' put you in a mold that wasne' right for you."

"Mum, I..." He knew he should say it was okay, but it wasn't. He didn't want to see his mother like this, he just wanted his happiness back.  
"I've wanted to talk t'you about something. I've been thinking of selling th' house."

"It's fine by me, Mum." And it really was. "Rodney and I will help you move. Where do y' want to go?"

"To Betty's."

"Okay then. When? When do you want t'do this?" Carson and his mother sat there at the table together, making their plans, while Rodney stayed in the lounge room making sure John was fully aware of the limits of his intelligence. 


	6. Chapter 6

Notes: This Chapter was written by Lorellipsis, whose own plot bunnies are yet to be found.

The next day, after the whole fiasco with Rodney and John, Carson was sorely in need of a diversion. The local, monthly market was taking place down at the City Square, and it sounded like a good place to start.

Rodney wasn't so excited by the idea though. "You actually think there'll be something there of interest to us? Carson, we're intelligent, world- no make that _galaxy-_traveled men. There is just no way some poky little market is going to be a source of inspiration or entertainment." He pulled the gate closed behind them, continuing his tirade as they made their way toward the busier part of the small country town. "Unless, of course, you count watching a group of low-class, and somewhat under-evolved, goat herders trying to move a pack of almost brain-dead animals from one big empty patch of grass to another."

Carson looked at him with disdain. How could he possibly have thought that he'd missed this man? He was _the _most egotistical and arrogant person he'd ever met. "Aye, well, if y'think it'll be such a bloody bore, then why don' ye come up with a suggestion, yourself!" he exclaimed defensively. "Come on, Mister Genius. Lets hear it, now."

His annoyance was completely lost on Rodney, who was busy manoeuvering his way around a group of noisy pre-schoolers. "There's got to be something more than this! What's with those buses parked up there on the hill? Near that dilapidated old shed," he waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the hill. "And what _is_ that, anyway? Don't even try to tell me it's a local, historical landmark because, _please..._ I swear if those goat herders so much as sneeze in the wrong direction..."

Carson tuned him out. He was beginning to get a headache. If he could only find something to interest Rodney, just enough to shut him up for a few minutes, he might be able to come up with a more entertaining activity. Something that would put an end to his long-winded complaining.

They wandered along, Rodney still pouring out that endless monologue, and Carson wracking his brain for the ultimate McKay-silencing activity. He paid little attention to their surroundings, following Rodney's lead blindly. And so it was with some surprise, that he found himself reaching the crest of the hill. "Rodney, I thought y'were worried about the Goat Herder's Shack over there. What on God's earth are we doing here, practically right beside it?"

"What? Oh... Goat Herder's Shack, is that what it's supposed to be?" he glanced over briefly. "Where do you think those buses are going, Carson?"

"They go t' the city. You know, the place where the middle-class, slightly more intelligent, goat herders dwell." he answered. "I've heard they've even got something called electricity over there. Real advanced it is. I don' think we farmers down here in the glen could handle it, though."

Rodney looked at him like he'd just jumped off the back of the local, loony wagon. "What's with you? Did somebody hurt those tender, little feelings of yours?"

"Y'know Rodney, maybe we _should_ catch one o' those buses," an idea was beginning to form in his mind. "There might jus' be somthin' in the _big city _that'd take your fancy."

The trip into the city was relatively peaceful. Rodney even stopped talking for a while, and Carson felt the headache easing off.

They got off the bus at its second stop, "Entertainment and Leisure Agency - Finding a Way, to Improve your Day." Or at least, that's what the sign claimed. Carson hoped he wouldn't be disappointed. His idea had become more fully formed during the ride over and this place was his best bet for bringing it to fruition.

Rodney trailed behind, turning to and fro like a kid on his first visit to the zoo. He didn't follow Carson up to the information booth and, consequently, had no idea of the conversation that took place there.

It wasn't long before Carson made his way back over, a big and somewhat stupid grin on his face and a couple of packages tucked under one arm. "So, Rodney. D'ye think you're ready for it then?"

"Ready for what?" Rodney scoffed. "I'm sure I can handle anything you can, Carson. So, whatever juvenile activity you've arranged, you'll just have to sit back and accept defeat. You know I'll beat you hands-down."

Ah yes, the _most _egotistical and arrogant man he'd met. Well, win or lose, it was going to be fun and Carson knew that Rodney's brain-power wasn't going to be as much assistance as he expected.

"Come on then. It's over this way." He gestured off to the side and started walking. "I jus' hope I got the right size outfit for ye."

And now, he had Rodney's complete attention. "Outfit?" he spluttered. "Hey, Carson! Wait up."

Carson kept walking, an enthusiastic spring to his step and Rodney took off after him, waving his arms about frantically. Not quite so arrogant now, eh?

They entered an area that had been fenced off by tall stacks of hay. Rodney hadn't once ceased his indignant rant, but this time Carson didn't mind. He came to a stop beside yet another booth and, with an expression of glee, passed Rodney one of the packages he'd been carrying. "Well, suit-up then."

Rodney looked at him incredulously, not accepting the offered package. "Look, Carson, I understand you have an inferiority complex when you're around me and, in all honesty, so you should. But you don't have to resort to stupid pranks, just to try and feel better about it. I thought we'd have been passed all that by now."

Carson dropped the package at Rodney's feet, turned away and started to remove his jacket. "So... ye like t'watch then, do ye, Rodney?"

"What... no! Of course not!" Never one to ignore an insult, he picked up the bundle at his feet and turned his back. With enormous reluctance, he began to unwrap it and was even more confused when all that it contained was an old pair of paint-splattered overalls. He glanced over his shoulder at Carson and discovered him standing there, dressed in a similar pair of overalls and watching expectantly.

"Get a move on, Rodney. I swear you're slower than a bloody woman!"

Rodney shrugged out of his own jacket and proceeded to step into his... outfit. He wondered if Carson had finally cracked, because there was just no way he was going to spend his afternoon doing maintenance for some shabby amusement park that couldn't afford to keep itself in business.

The man attending the booth approached them, "Well, lads... if you're ready then, I'll get ye set up. Over here is where we keep all the equipment. Helmets up here - and make sure ye keep the visor down at all times. You can each choose one of these large, heavy-duty guns and one handgun. And if you'll jus' come over a wee bit closer, I'll show ye how to work them."

Rodney looked at Carson, a slow smile of understanding beginning to make its way across his face. Carson raised an eyebrow comically, "So, Rodney... Sheppard or Teyla? Take ye pick."

"Oh, gee Carson. I just don't know who to choose. Conan or Xena?" the snark had returned, in its complete and overconfident glory. "Okay... decided. Zena it is, then."

Carson looked at him in disbelief. He'd forgotten just how unpredictable Rodney could be. "I'd have thought ye'd at least have said _Superman_, Rodney."

"Who wants to be Superman when they can be Xena? And besides, I'm getting sick of being Superman all the time. I can't save the galaxy _every_ day, you know!"

"Yeah well, y'know Xena wasn't actually one o' the options, Rodney."

"Fine, Teyla then! I'm Teyla. Are you happy now, Colonel? I just hope you have the courage and skill to shoot me somewhere more fatal than the leg!"

Five more days passed before Carson and Rodney left the little house and the beautiful sights of Scotland. They boarded a plane destined for the gray walls of the SGC - the only gateway to the snowflake city they'd missed so much, and the people who had become their family.


End file.
